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CVE-2015-8978

7.5 · HIGH

In Soap Lite (aka the SOAP::Lite extension for Perl) 1.14 and earlier, an example attack consists of defining 10 or more XML entities, each defined as consisting of 10 of the previous entity, with…

Published Nov 22, 2016CWE-399EPSS 1.55%

Overview

CVE-2015-8978 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on November 22, 2016 and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 7.5, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

In Soap Lite (aka the SOAP::Lite extension for Perl) 1.14 and earlier, an example attack consists of defining 10 or more XML entities, each defined as consisting of 10 of the previous entity, with the document consisting of a single instance of the largest entity, which expands to one billion copies of the first entity. The amount of computer memory used for handling an external SOAP call would likely exceed that available to the process parsing the XML.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

References

Refcpansearch.perl.org/src/PHRED/SOAP-Lite-1.20/ChangesRefwww.securityfocus.com/bid/94487Refcpansearch.perl.org/src/PHRED/SOAP-Lite-1.20/ChangesRefwww.securityfocus.com/bid/94487

How CyberStrike helps

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2015-8978?

CVE-2015-8978 is a high-severity vulnerability. It was published on November 22, 2016 and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 7.5 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2015-8978?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 7.5, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2015-8978?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2015-8978?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2015-8978 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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